23 December 2019, UPDATE
A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.
Newsroom, 23.12.2019, 20:15
Commemoration. Religious and military ceremonies
commemorating the 40 gendarmes killed on December 23rd, 1989, have
been held at the Otopeni Airport, near Bucharest. Just one day after dictator
Ceausescu lost power, they were killed by the forces that were protecting the
airport, who thought the gendarmes were terrorists. They had in fact been sent
there to enforce defence around the airport.
Government. The Romanian government has assumed responsibility in Parliament for the
state budget bill, a first in Romanian politics. The Orban government also
assumed responsibility for the social security bill and another bill amending
an emergency order that introduced additional fees on energy and
telecommunications companies and banks. In his Parliament address, the Liberal
prime minister Ludovic Orban said passing legislation by assuming
responsibility, which involves a vote of confidence, is a democratic move and
is stipulated in the Romanian Constitution. He also said that it was the only
solution to pass the budget bill for 2020 by the end of this year. He explained
that he agreed to a number of amendments before presenting the bill in
Parliament. He said he gave up a cap on bonuses for special working conditions
and a ban on receiving both a state pension and a salary at the same time in
the public sector. Healthcare and education budgets are to grow next year, and the
2% defence spending will be maintained. The Social Democrats have criticised
the government’s move to pass legislation by assuming responsibility in
Parliament. According to a statement by the Constitutional Court made public on
Monday, the Court was asked to look into the possibility of a legal conflict
between the government and Parliament by the speakers of the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies. The Court has set the date of January 10th for
the two parties to state their case in writing.
Currency. Most CFA analysts in Romania expect a depreciation of the Romanian
currency in the coming 12 months, down to the value of 4.8633 lei per one euro,
and an average inflation rate of 3.52%, as indicated by November’s
Macroeconomic Confidence Indicator, published on Monday. CFA Romania is one of
the most important local professional organisations bringing together
investment professionals from banking, asset management, insurance, private
equity, pension funds and other areas and is a member of the CFA Institute
Global Network of Societies. It has some 240 members in Romania. The indicator
was launched in Romania in May 2011.
Army. The Romanian defence minister
Nicolae Ciuca and the chief of the defence staff, lieutenant general Daniel
Petrescu on Monday received the chief of the defence staff in the Canadian
army, general Jonathan H. Vance, who is on a visit to Romania. The meeting took
place at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in south-western Romania. According
to a statement by the defence ministry in Bucharest, the three officials
discussed the stage of cooperation between the Romanian and Canadian armies
within NATO, the UN and the OSCE, as well as the security situation in the
greater Black Sea area. The Romanian officials thanked the Canadian general for
the contribution to supporting ongoing regional initiatives and the support
given to the Romanian detachment carrying out medical evacuation operations in
Mali.
Drugs. The Romanian police and
prosecutors have confiscated more than 33 kg of heroin worth more than 1
million euros on the black market, following searches at the homes of a number
of persons suspected of drug trafficking. According to an official statement, a
crime group made up of four suspects was carrying out transactions involving
significant amounts of drugs. The members of the group were allegedly planning
to sell a large quantity of heroin in Romania and other EU member states, which
they had acquired from a Turkish citizen. Two of the four suspects are in
custody, while the other two are in temporary house arrest.
